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Sekhesmet of Stratholme
Sekhesmet the Eternal, former High Priest of Stratholme (born in the year 532 in Andorhal, Lordaeron) is an undead character in World of Warcraft created by Joshua Underwood. As a fan of Warcraft lore, Underwood decided to write out stories of his Warcraft characters, particularly with his two primary "healer characters", Sekhesmet and Saavedro. Sekhesmet's name was created by Underwood, to "sound Egyptian". The inspiration was the name of the Liche Giant Sehenesmet, from Warhammer Fantasy Battles - an undead high priest inside a gigantic skeletal body. Early Life Other than the fact that he was born in Andorhal, one of the largest towns in northern Lordaeron, Sekhesmet's early life remains a relative mystery. It is known that when he reached his Age of Ascension, he joined Lordaeron's priesthood. He was ambitious and headstrong, but none could doubt the strength of the Light that coursed through him. He became a Priest of Stratholme in his early thirties, and became a High Priest of Stratholme in 574, at age 42. Sekhesmet, despite his brash, often cynical demeanor, was an altruistic and compassionate man, and the people of Stratholme grew to respect him over the years. One young man, in a nearby township to the south, had also heard of the kindly High Priest, and was taken to him by a courier from the capital city of Lordaeron. That young man would later become one of the High Priest's greatest foes, when they found themselves on opposite sides in the war between the Alliance and the Horde... Training an Apprentice In 585, Sekhesmet took as his apprentice a young man named Saavedro, the son of the magistrate of Corin's Crossing. Sekhesmet trained Saavedro in the ways of the priesthood, but also taught him how to defend himself from an attacker - not that he would need to if he remained in the city, but Sekhesmet believed in taking precautions with the Horde running rampant in the human lands. Saavedro, he noted, was a formidable healer, and a kind-hearted soul who could not harm a fly - but he also possessed a keen wit and sharp tongue that would make him a perfect emissary. Sekhesmet also gave Saavedro training in the ways of the diplomat, how to use his mind and his mouth to advance the cause of the people he was sent to represent. In 601, at age 69, Sekhesmet was appointed to the high council of Lordaeron's priesthood, where he served in an advisory position to the King of Lordaeron, Terenas Menethil II. In 604, he and his fellow high priests agreed to send an emissary of the Lordaeron priesthood to the court of King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind, and - not surprisingly - they selected Saavedro, now a full-fledged priest of Stratholme, to fill that capacity. For many years, Saavedro served as a junior ambassador to the aged Archbishop Alonsus Faol, and then to his successor Benedictus after Faol's death, sending back favorable reports of the situation in Stormwind. Then, in 614, disaster struck. The Scourge of Lordaeron Thirteen years following the end of the Second War, the Burning Legion had set into motion the creation of a plague that would wipe all humanity off the face of Azeroth. Their powerful instrument of death, the spirit of the orc shaman Ner'zhul (now known as the Lich King), had created a virulent plague that caused its victims to arise as undead soldiers for him to control. This army became known as the Scourge. Sekhesmet, now contemplating retirement, had returned to Stratholme for a brief period when Prince Arthas - driven mad by the inability to defeat the Scourge - ordered the execution of many of the city's citizens, believing them to be infected by the plague. Escaping out the service entrance in Elder's Square and making his way to the capital, Sekhesmet informed the high council of priests that Arthas had fallen into madness, and that he would commit some other terrible crime against the Kingdom of Lordaeron. The council brought their concerns before King Terenas, but the King dismissed their concerns; Terenas honestly did not believe that his son could commit such evil. The paladin lord Uther the Lightbringer, who had observed Arthas' order of execution, was also disbelieving, but he saw the truth: Arthas' youthful brashness had turned into pure hatred. Sekhesmet predicted that wherever Arthas was going, it would change him - and not for the better. Weeks later, Sekhesmet was proven right. Having tracked down the source of the undead plague to the icy continent of Northrend, Arthas encountered his old comrade and mentor Muradin Bronzebeard, brother of King Magni of Ironforge. Muradin informed Arthas of the existence of a runeblade known as Frostmourne, said to have powers beyond mortal reckoning - and it was also said to be cursed. Muradin was proven correct - Frostmourne was a trap set by the Lich King to find someone skirting the line between darkness and light, to become his physical host. After killing Muradin and claiming Frostmourne for himself - in the process, losing both his soul and what little sanity he had left - Arthas returned to his father's throne room in Lordaeron and, before shocked observers, ran Terenas through with the icy blade. Within weeks of Terenas' death, the citizens of Lordaeron's capital city - including Sekhesmet and the council of priests - began to succumb to the virulent plague of undeath that completely devastated Lordaeron. Sekhesmet resisted with his Light-given strength right until the end. At the age of 82, the elderly Sekhesmet died in agony, choking out his last breaths on the elaborate mural on the floor of Terenas' throne room. Arising as a Forsaken Sekhesmet was buried in a mass grave with other victims of the plague near the town of Brill. But because the plague that had killed him caused its victims to arise as the undead, it would only be a matter of time before Sekhesmet did likewise. Six years later, he did. Greatly weakened from the sleep of death, Sekhesmet realized that he would have to completely relearn the powers of the priesthood that he had wielded so masterfully in life. He was disturbed and disgusted at the horrific changes that had come over him - his hunger for human flesh, and the exposed bones where his flesh had rotted away - but gradually, under the guidance of others, began to accept his changes, for it was unlikely he would be restored to being human again. While he adjusted to his new, unusual state, Sekhesmet was delighted to discover that there were others like him, and that they had claimed a new capital dredged out of the royal catacombs deep beneath the ruins of Lordaeron. This Undercity was ruled by the former Ranger General of Quel'Thalas, Sylvanas Windrunner. Sekhesmet immediately swore fealty to the Dark Lady of the Forsaken, and joined the Royal Apothecary Society as a junior alchemist. The Royal Apothecary Society was dedicated to creating a new plague that would not only destroy the human race, but also the Scourge as well. While he briefly lamented that his former pupil, Saavedro - now a powerful paladin - would probably be a victim of this vile plague, Sekhesmet dismissed such notions as beneath him. He was immortal now, and could not be disturbed by the needs of mere humans. Driven by a desire to regain his power, Sekhesmet struck a bargain with Joshmaul the Warlock, in which the orc would provide him with powerful artifacts to regain his strength in exchange for the priest's loyalty. Cunning but mistrustful, Joshmaul agreed to Sekhesmet's bargain - but knowing the formidable powers Sekhesmet had wielded in life, Joshmaul kept a close eye on his new "friend". Currently Sekhesmet is currently at the Sepulcher, the Forsaken outpost in Silverpine Forest. Category:RPGCategory:Warcraft